Gwyneth Paltrow & Tim McGraw from the upcoming movie, Country Strong, in theaters January 7, 2011. Photo by Scott Garfield, courtesy of Sony Pictures USA & Monarch Publicity.

From Crazy Heart to Country Strong, Hollywood and Nashville were tightly linked in 2010.

Tim McGraw, Julianne Hough, Trace Adkins and Carrie Underwood all went in front of the cameras. And artists as diverse as Ryan Bingham, Billy Currington, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney got their music on the big screen in one way or another.

Country’s role in a large number of movies ranks No. 7 in GAC’s countdown of the dozen top stories of 2010.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

“Need You Now” lofted Lady Antebellum from a well-regarded band within country music to one that’s recognized across multiple genres, and it already won Single Record and Song of the Year during the Academy of Country Music Awards in April.

With the Country Music Association set to hand out its trophies on Wednesday, “Need You Now” claimed yet another victory Monday when it won Song of the Year from SESAC and — combined with “I Run To You” and “Our Kind Of Love” — earned group member Hillary Scott recognition as the performing-rights organization’s Songwriter of the Year in a black-tie event on Music Row.

SESAC is one of three American PROs, responsible for collecting and distributing money for songwriters, so its recognition is symbolic of just how financially rewarding the song has been.

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Laura Bell Bundy photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Hot off her performance at last Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Laura Bell Bundy planted herself in an enviable position this week as Achin’ And Shakin’ debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.

Laura Bell is a new artist to many — if not most — country fans, but she’s got a long list of entertainment credentials backing her up. Most of them stem from the theater, where she’s appeared in productions of Legally Blonde: The Musical, Wicked and The Sound Of Music. But she released an album in 2007 and got a very concentrated push for her new project, which got its Achin’ And Shakin’ title because one half is songs of heartache and the other is for shakin’ your booty.

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols made a nice move this week to launch his current single, “Gimmie That Girl,” into the Top 15 on the Country Aircheck Mediabase chart. It’s the first time he’s cracked that level on the chart in more than three years, and part of the reason is likely because he connects on a personal level to the upbeat sentiment of the song.

Watch Joe’s video for “Gimmie That Girl” »

When Joe married Heather Singleton in the fall of 2007, it had a huge, calming effect on his life. They’d actually known each other as friends for more than a decade, and she’d been a rock of support for him even when everything else was kind of wacky.

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Lorrie Morgan photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of Webster & Associates, LLC.

Lorrie Morgan’s dance card is pretty full these days. She’s promoting a new album, A Moment In Time, as well as preparing for her Broadway debut in the musical, “Pure Country.” But before she hits the stage, she’s hitting the beaches of Belize – and inviting her fans to join her. If you’re a Lorrie fan — or know someone who is — and you’re still searching for the perfect Christmas present for them, how about a tropical vacation? Continue Reading

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Joe Nichols recently visited troops on US military bases in Kuwait and Iraq. His trip was filmed for the GAC special, Joe Nichols: My Military Diary, premiering Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 at 10 p.m. Eastern.

This summer, Joe Nichols took his first trip to the Middle East to perform for American troops serving in the nation’s two wars, and the journey is captured on a GAC special, Joe Nichols: My Military Diary.

It’s a visit he’d thought about for some time. Joe has an affinity for the work U.S. soldiers do, and he’s convinced that had things gone in a different way earlier in his life, he might well have ended up an enlisted man.

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols released his latest album, Old Things New, this week, and one of the things that’s new about it is the lack of a Joe Nichols songwriter credit.

It’s the first time he’s not put one of his own songs on one of his releases, and there’s a good reason for that: He’s a huge believer in good material, and he simply didn’t feel the titles he could have brought to the CD were better than the ones he picked up from other writers. Continue Reading

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Joe Nichols photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

Last week, Joe Nichols celebrated the second anniversary of his marriage to Heather Singleton. The two were friends for years before they tied the knot, so she knows very well what makes him tick. And because she’s adamant about telling him the truth — even when it hurts — he’s finally made the transition into adulthood.

“The biggest change for me is I’m a grown up now,” he told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. Continue Reading

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